1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a ticket issuing apparatus for issuing various types of tickets having different printing formats.
2. Description of the Related Art
A plurality of check-in counters are available for check-in procedures in airports. In recent years, these check-in counters are systematically utilized. For example, a plurality of airline companies occupy some of these check-in counters, and remaining check-in counters are commonly used. The common check-in counters are utilized by different airline companies in different time zones to perform speedy check-in operations. That is, each airline company utilizes the common check-in counters in addition to the exclusive check-in counters in its busy flight time zone. A boarding pass is issued by a ticket issuing apparatus at each check-in counter. The issued boarding pass is handed to check-in passenger. Ticket data such as a name of an airline company, a boarding date, places of departure and arrival, a flight number, a seat number, and the like are printed on the boarding pass.
A conventional ticket issuing apparatus is connected to a host computer of a desired airline company through a communication channel. The ticket issuing apparatus receives ticket data and a printing format transmitted from this host computer. The ticket issuing apparatus prints the ticket data on the upper surface of card-like ticket paper in accordance with the printing format and records the ticket data as codes in a magnetic stripe formed on the lower surface of this ticket paper. The ticket paper is then issued as a boarding pass.
The ticket data and the printing format are transmitted from the host computer to the ticket issuing apparatus every time the boarding pass is issued. When many passengers wait for check-in procedures, issuing of the boarding passes is greatly delayed.
In order to shorten a issuing time of the boarding pass, for example, a common printing format can be used by a plurality of airline companies. However, it is very difficult to employ the common printing format because airline companies have unique boarding passes. Alternatively, it is possible to preset different printing formats of these airline companies in the ticket issuing apparatus. However, it is not easy to cope with the cases wherein a new airline company goes into commission and its printing format is added, or printing formats of the airline companies in service are changed.